Human service workers should have a knowledge base of their client’s culture and be able to demonstrate competence in providing services that are sensitive to clients’ cultures and the differences among people and cultural groups. The first step towards developing this competence is to identify your own beliefs and biases.
Culturally competent service providers are aware and respectful of the importance of the values, beliefs, traditions, and customs of the people they serve. They are also aware of the impact of their own culture on the therapeutic relationship and take all of these factors into account when planning and delivering services for children and adolescents with problems and their families. The makeup of the American population is changing as a result of immigration patterns and significant increases among racially, ethnically, culturally, and linguistically diverse populations already residing in the United States. Human service organizations and programs and federal, state, and local governments must implement systemic change to meet the mental health needs of this diverse population.
Human service workers should obtain education about and seek to understand the nature of social diversity and oppression with respect to race, ethnicity, national origin, color, sex, sexual orientation, age, marital status, political belief, religion, and mental or physical disability.
References
The Children’s Cabinet of Seminole County. (n.d.). The compelling need for cultural and linguistic competence. http://seminolechildren.org/index.php/resources/cultural-competence.html
TO DO LIST
What You Need To Know: Read about working with varied client populations and promoting cultural diversity and competency.
Discussion: Discuss the results of your self-assessment related to your abilities as a culturally competent service provider.
Prepare: Prepare for the Week 9 assignment by selecting and reading three of the provided articles.
Discussion Overview
In this discussion, you will use the results of your self-assessment on dimensions of culturally competent human services skills to discuss topics related to cultural competence.
What You Need to Know
Cultural Competence
In your Theory, Practice, and Trends in Human Services: An Introduction textbook, read the following:
Chapter 9, “Culturally Competent Helping and Diversity,” pages 207–232.
Chapter 10, “Working with Varied Client Populations,” pages 233–258.
Use the Internet to complete the following self-assessment:
Georgetown University National Center for Cultural Competence. (n.d.). Promoting cultural diversity and cultural competency: Self-assessment checklist for personnel providing behavioral health services and supports to children, youth and their families [PDF]. https://nccc.georgetown.edu/documents/ChecklistBehavioralHealth.pdf
Write Your Discussion Post
Cultural Competence in Human Services Work
This week, you were asked to complete a self-assessment from Georgetown University that asked you to rate yourself on different dimensions of culturally competent human services work: physical environment, materials, and resources; communication styles; and values and attitudes. Discuss the assessment and cultural competence with your peers. Here are some ideas to organize your discussion:
Choose one of the dimensions and describe your self-assessment. Were you surprised by the results? Why or why not?
Imagine that you are a consultant working as a mentor in the areas of cultural competence and diversity, equity and inclusion (#DEI). What would you recommend as a personal development plan for yourself?
Without sharing identifying information, describe a situation where you feel that an organization or human services worker you have worked with could have been more culturally competent. Why do you feel that way and what would you suggest they should have done?
